—Update at 11:40 a.m. Nov. 2—
Squamish Fire Rescue's Deputy Fire Chief Shaun Swerdfeger says a 911 call to the department was received at 8:03 a.m. this morning about a boat on fire in the Squamish Harbour Authority parking area.
The blaze involved three dry-docked boats in the gravel parking lot, which meant that no one was on board any of the vessels.
Crews responded from Hall No. 1, in Valleycliffe, and were able to tackle the fire "quickly and effectively," Swerdfeger said, to limit the damage to the surrounding area, such as other vehicles and adjacent buildings.
A total of 13 firefighters were on scene with two trucks, and a third truck was staged at Main Street and Loggers Lane, in case it was needed.
The source and cause of the fire are unknown and are being investigated.
All roads are open in the area. However, residents should stay back from the site where clean-up continues by the property owner, Swerdfeger added.
Fire crews have left the site.
“I’d like to thank our crews this morning who were very efficient and did a great job, with fast fire suppression resulting in a high level of community safety,” Swerdfeger said.
—Original story—
A column of black smoke billowing from the area of the Squamish Harbour Authority storage lot (Government Docks) downtown could be seen for kilometres Saturday morning.
Squamish Fire Rescue members and numerous RCMP officers attended the scene for a fire that appeared to be doused quickly.
A bystander told The Squamish Chief it was a boat fire in the storage lot.
This has not been confirmed by the authorities yet. RMCP officers were seen taking witness statements.
By just after 9 a.m., most of the smoke and the smell of it was gone.
More to come...
As this is an evolving situation, we are updating the story as information comes in or is clarified.
Correction: This story has been corrected since it was first posted. The original story said the fire was at the Squamish Yacht Club parking lot. It was adjacent to the club, but not at it.
